Castle Serenity
by SelimPensFiction
Summary: Castle and Beckett join the crew of Serenity to prevent an atrocity. But at what cost? While this story builds on events portrayed in "Firefly in the Castle", it can be enjoyed independently. The events herein are post-BDM and pre-Serenity: Leaves on the Wind.
1. Chapter 1

_Castle and Beckett join the crew of Serenity to prevent an atrocity. But at what cost?_

_While this story builds on events portrayed in "Firefly in the Castle", it can be enjoyed independently. _

_The events herein are post-BDM and pre-_Serenity: Leaves on the Wind_._

* * *

Richard Castle sat back and read the story fragment he'd started this morning.

"_Who the hell am I, Nikki?" asked Rook. "Do you know?"_

_Nikki Heat blinked. "What? Is this where you tell me that Jameson Rook is an alias and that you're really a deep-cover NSA agent?"_

_Rook smiled. "I strike you as the NSA type? No, what I mean is, _who am I_? How do I define who I am?"_

_Nikki, reached for her blouse, slipped her arm into the sleeves, and replied as she fastened the buttons. "It's a bit early in the day for existential angst, isn't it? I mean, wouldn't one normally wait until after their morning coffee?"_

_Rook got out of bed and pulled on his trousers. "If you really loved me, you'd be more sympathetic towards my existential angst."_

"_Yes I would, wouldn't I?" replied Nikki Heat with a wink._

Castle, lost in thought, was unaware of his mother until she set down a mug of coffee beside him.

Smiling, Martha Rogers said, "Taking your next book in a new direction?" she asked.

"Oh, I probably won't use it," Castle replied, returning his mother's kiss on the cheek. "Still, it got me to wondering, who is Jameson Rook? I mean, besides comic relief for Nikki Heat?"

"Why that's easy," said Martha. "He's you."

Castle sighed. "Which begs the question…"

"Oh here we go," Martha said. "I've been dreading this day and now here it is."

"What?" Castle asked.

"Why your mid-life crisis, of course. What else?"

"My… I'm hardly at the middle of my life, mother," said Castle.

"Of course not, dear," his mother said, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't mind me." And with that, she smiled and left him to his work.

"Well… I'm not." Castle insisted as she left.

After she closed the door, he raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Am I?"

* * *

"Got a moment, sir?" Zoe asked as she sat in the co-pilot's chair.

Mal turned to her. "Always," he said. "What is it?"

"I've got a lead on a new crew member."

"A new… Zoe, we can barely look after the crew we got. Why'd we be lookin' for another?"

"He'll be a might young," Zoe continued. "Or she."

Mal set down the instrument he'd been repairing and regarded Zoe. Her flat expression was unreadable. "Zoe, what exactly you tryin' to tell me?"

Zoe's expression didn't change for a moment, but then, to Mal's astonishment, her eyes started to tear up. After wiping her eyes, she said, "I'm pregnant." Then Zoe proceeded to sob, her hands covering her face.

Mal sat back in his chair, his eyes wide. Then his hands started to move as if of their own accord, first here, then there, as if they couldn't work out where to go or what to do. Finally, Mal reached into a pocket then offered Zoe his handkerchief.

After she'd blown her nose, Mal asked, "You sure?"

Zoe nodded. "Doc just confirmed. I knew I'd missed a period or two. Thought it was just due to stress."

When she saw Mal's expression, Zoe smiled through her tears. "Sorry sir. You don't want to be knowin' that I'm actually a woman with periods and all."

Mal winced. Then, hesitantly, he went to Zoe, gave her a light hug, then seated himself.

Both were silent for a time, then Mal's mouth opened and closed. After turning his head back and forth, his mouth opened and closed again. Finally, Mal said, "OK."

"OK," Zoe repeated. "That all you got to say?"

"Um, you can still do this job we got?" Mal asked.

Zoe regarded Mal for a moment then, her expression flat again, said, "Yes, sir." She got up and left the bridge.

Kaylee was waiting for her in the corridor. "How was he?" she asked.

"Clueless," said Zoe, continuing to her cabin.

Kaylee shook her head and replied loudly enough for Mal to hear. "Well, that figures."

* * *

Still lost in thought some several minutes after his mother had left, Castle was roused by a text message from Beckett: "At crime scene. Pls join me." This was followed by an address.

Castle got right to his feet. "Good timing, Beckett," Castle said to himself as he closed his laptop. "You've saved me from a morning of self-absorption."

When he reached the address, Castle was puzzled not to see any squad cars, officers, or areas cordoned off. It was an old warehouse district. The warehouse in front of him was in dilapidated condition, with dirty grey paint peeling off the walls, windows coated with so many layers of soot that they were opaque, and a large, double door, open, fairly hanging off its hinges. Above the door, an old sign, faded to near illegibility, proclaimed this the location of the Alliance Lighting Co.

Castle walked up to the door. It was dark inside. Some light from the skylights grudgingly admitted a sprinkling of light, enough for Castle to see that the interior was almost completely empty.

"Beckett?" he called.

There was no reply.

Turning on his phone's flashlight app, Castle entered the warehouse warily. There really seemed to be nothing here but a lot of dust. After a few steps he stopped and called out to Beckett again, louder this time.

This time he heard a muffled response. It was coming... from somewhere off to his right.

Heading in that direction, Castle discerned a structure jutting out from the wall. Perhaps it was a small office. Opening the door, he shone his light inside. It wasn't an office, more like a storage container, with bare metal walls and floor. And there, in the centre of the floor, was Beckett, gagged and tied to a chair.

Castle dashed in and removed Beckett's gag.

"We have to stop meeting like this," he said.

Beckett shook the hair out of her eyes then smiled up at him. "Well, you know, I thought the whole damsel in distress thing turned you on."

Reaching into his pocket for a Swiss Army knife, Castle smiled and said, "You've no idea." He set his phone on her lap and started cutting the cords binding her hands and feet.

"What happened, anyway?" he asked.

But before Beckett could answer, the door behind them slammed shut. Castle dashed back but it was too late. It was locked.

Speechless he and Beckett looked at each other. "Not again!" they both said.

* * *

Jayne rolled his eyes as Mal negotiated with the Alliance soldier.

"We've done this sort of thing before," Mal explained. "Probably best we knock you out. You really prefer, we can shoot or stab you somewhere non-vital. You could even get a medal. You know, valor in the face of duty."

They were standing outside a small building on the eastern outskirts of a dusty town on Newhall. Sparsely populated, Newhall served primarily as a way station for transport from the Central to the Rim planets. Aside from the transport station, the town consisted largely of some specialized repair shops, a general store, and a few farms. A reservoir fed by an underground spring supplied drinking water. A water tower mounted on a hill a few hundred feet to the east of town was the only significant landmark.

The soldier considered Mal's proposal. "Sure you won't just give yourselves up? It'd look great on my record."

"Sorry son, that ain't going to happen. So what'll it be then?"

But he never got to decide, falling to the ground as he did in a senseless heap.

Jayne, who'd moved behind the soldier, said, "Was turning into the most gorram boring heist we ever pulled."

Mal sighed. "OK, go in and check out the vault. Zoe and I'll keep watch here. Keep your eyes open, though I ain't expectin' anythin' to go wrong."

Jayne drew his rifle, opened the door, and proceeded slowly down the corridor.

"_Somethin's_ gonna go wrong," Jayne muttered. "Always does."

Mal had received word from an old army buddy that a shipment of medical and food supplies was awaiting transport to the Central planets, though it was desperately needed in the Rim. Those supplies were locked in a vault inside the building. They'd been offered a 50/50 split for the job. Mal's team would acquire the supplies and the others would distribute. Mal had readily agreed.

Jayne hated the jobs that involved folk from Mal's past. They had a way of ending not so well. Mal and Zoe, though, they didn't let go of old allegiances any too easily. Still, this was a payin' job and times had been lean of late. 'Twas money brought him into Serenity's crew. That and his own bunk. A purse that seemed most often near empty might see him leave someday. Not today, but someday.

Slowly making his way along the corridor, Jayne kicked in each door, checked that the room was clear, then moved on. Finally he came to a stairwell that led to the basement. Peering down, he saw that it was empty, then proceeded down the steps.

* * *

Castle and Beckett, in complete darkness, moved their hands along the cool metal walls of their prison.

"Anything?" Beckett asked.

"Nada," said Castle. "I can't find so much as a seam, let alone an exit."

A sudden lurch of their prison caused both Castle and Beckett to tumble to the floor.

"You OK?" Castle asked as he picked himself up.

"Fine," said Beckett. "What was that? Earthquake?"

"Could be," Castle said. "Or someone was moving this storage container."

"Well, we didn't move far. We're completely stationary now as far as I can tell." said Beckett.

Castle followed the wall until he reached his fiancé. "Not much we can do," he said. "We may as well make ourselves comfortable until help arrives."

They sat in a corner in the dark, Castle's arm around Beckett, her head on his shoulder.

* * *

There was a small landing at the bottom of the steps beyond which was the door to the vault. According to Mal's source, it used a simple electronic lock mechanism that River's device should easily override. Jayne placed the device on the door, entered the key sequence, and stepped back. After a few seconds came the satisfying sound of the door unlocking itself. Jayne smiled and, rifle poised in his right hand, he swung the door open with his left.

It was nearly pitch black inside, but he caught sight of something moving. Shining a light into the vault, his eyes widened in surprise and he stepped back a pace.

"Mal?" Jayne said.

* * *

_This story is dedicated to Twisha on the auspicious occasion of her birthday._


	2. Chapter 2

A noise outside the dark, metal prison roused Castle and Beckett from their sleep. They both got to their feet in an instant.

"Sounds like whoever locked us in here is back," Castle said. Without thinking, he stood in front of Beckett to protect her from… who knew what.

The door opened abruptly, blinding Beckett and Castle for a moment. As his eyes adjusted, Castle made out a large man holding a rifle.

He shone a flashlight into the room, then stepped back slightly.

"Mal?" he said.

Castle held up his arm to shield his eyes from the light.

"Mal, what you doin' here? You said you'd keep watch with Zoe. How'd you git in here, anyway?"

As the man lowered his rifle, Beckett stepped out from behind Castle.

Noting Beckett with surprise, he looked her up and down, his expression changing from angry frown to broad, toothy leer. "Who's this?" he asked, stepping towards them. "New companion? This one gonna service the crew while she's at it?"

Beckett wasn't sure what he was saying, but didn't like the sound of it. She started to reach for her badge.

The man instantly brought his rifle up and cocked the trigger.

"I'm not armed," Beckett said. 'I'm reaching for my ID. Slowly. Here, Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. This is Richard Castle. And you are?"

The man shook his head and lowered the rifle again. "Richard Castle my ass. What's this 'bout, Mal? Seriously. We can't dally here all day. Where's all the supplies supposed to be in here?"

Castle cocked his head to one side. "Mal? You don't mean… Malcolm Reynolds, do you?"

Beckett and Castle exchanged glances.

"OK, you want to act like some ornery _fei fei pi yan_, fine with me," the man said. "We gotta git outta here before the feds show up."

With that, the man turned and climbed the stairs, two at a time.

* * *

"You not talkin' to me, Zoe?" Mal asked.

"No sir," said Zoe.

"So you _are_ talkin' to me?"

Zoe said nothing, but continued to scan the surroundings for any signs of trouble.

Mal sighed.

"I'm happy for you that you're pregnant."

"I'm happy that you're happy," Zoe said flatly. "Sir."

Mal whistled to himself for a moment.

"Wonder what's keeping Jayne?" he pondered out loud.

* * *

Castle scratched his head. "So… what? That's it? We're free to go?"

"I don't think he expected to find us here," Beckett said. "He said something about supplies, that's what he was looking for."

"Did you catch his use of Mandarin? Remember anyone else who spoke like that?"

Beckett gulped. "He thought he recognized you, didn't he? He called you Mal."

Castle looked around him. A short landing led from the vault entrance to a set of stairs. It was well-lit, in contrast to the dim warehouse where their problems had started.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Castle said. "We're not where we started out. Let's go after him and see where we are."

* * *

Jayne exited the building and stopped abruptly, glaring at Mal.

"Mal, how you doin' that?"

"Doin' what exactly?" Mal asked.

Zoe interrupted. "The supplies?"

"Ain't no supplies," Jayne replied to Zoe. "I open the vault, I find Mal here and some woman. Companion, maybe. She had the look of one."

Mal and Zoe looked at each other.

"I ain't left this spot," Mal said. "You feelin' OK?"

Jayne turned to Zoe. "It's the truth," she said. "I been here with him the whole time."

When they heard the doors open again, all three drew their weapons and turned around.

Castle and Beckett raised their hands.

"Is this any way to greet your brother?" Castle asked.

Wordlessly, Mal holstered his pistol. Jayne and Zoe followed his lead as they gave each other puzzled looks.

Castle and Beckett, after lowering their arms, looked about them, taking in the dusty surface of Newhall and the spaceport off in the distance.

"OK, I'm going to go out on a limb here," said Castle, "and say that we're not in New York City any more."

Mal finally found his voice. "_Qing wa kao de liu mang_. Richard? Detective? How in the 'verse did you get here?"

Beckett had knelt down, running her fingers through the sandy ground. Looking up at Mal, she said, "I think we were hoping you could tell us."

"And where is here, exactly?" Castle asked.

"Truth be told, you're a long way from home, " Mal said. But we'd best be gone from this place before…"

Just then, Mal heard an all too familiar sound and glanced skyward. When his eyes confirmed the source, he was momentarily stunned, and, for a moment, felt he was back in Serenity Valley, nearly deafened by artillery and sickened by the smell of blood.

Shaking his head, Mal cursed. "_Zao gao_. Landing ship, coming this way."

The building that housed the vault was the sole building on the short, dirt road that led south, where it intersected with the town's main street. The Alliance ship was setting down to land a few hundred feet south of the intersection.

This wasn't good. In fact, it was overkill, and there weren't a lot of options. The ship likely held at least a platoon of soldiers. The shuttle was parked about a quarter mile to the south, on the other side of the landing ship. It was the only nearby spot that had some cover. It might as well have been on another world. The landscape surrounding the building was wide open, with the odd tuft of grass and a smattering of small boulders. There was nowhere they could run where they wouldn't be spotted and taken down immediately.

"Who are they?" Beckett asked.

"Trouble," Mal said, shooting Beckett an oddly familiar "not now" look.

"Everyone inside," said Mal. "Keep low. These double doors seem pretty sturdy. The metal on the bottom half should provide cover in case they get trigger happy. The glass on the top half will let us watch what they do."

What the forty-odd soldiers did as they exited the landing ship was to march directly towards the building in which Mal and the others had taken cover.

"Well… this sucks," said Jayne. "How'd they know we was here, anyhow?"

"We get out of this, I aim to find out," said Mal. "Suggestions?"

Zoe shook her head. "I got nothin', sir," she said. "No other exists from this building."

As the troops fanned out in front of the building, an amplified voice called out, "Malcolm Reynolds, come out with your hands up."

"This could be our way out," said Mal. "They take me, you come rescue me later."

"That's assumin' they want to take you alive," said Zoe.

Pondering that, Mal opened the door slightly, and called out. "You gonna shoot me if I come out?"

After a pause the spokesman replied with an amplified, "No?"

"You sure?" Mal called. "'Cause you don't sound very sure."

Another pause. "Pretty sure."

"Richard," said Mal, "hand me your jacket. Jayne, your rifle."

As Castle removed his jacket and passed it to Mal, his face started to turn red and then he finally let go of the chortle he'd been suppressing.

"What's your problem?" Jayne snarled.

"Your name is… Jane?" Castle asked.

"Yeah," said Jayne. "What of it?"

Beckett elbowed Castle and shook her head. "Quiet," she whispered. "I'm still trying to figure out whose side we should be on."

"Whose side?" Castle said. "Mal's my brother."

"And maybe he's broken the law."

"Those are soldiers out there, not police," Castle said.

"I'm just asking you to keep an open mind," said Beckett. "We don't know what we've landed in the middle of. He's your brother, but what do we know about him?"

"Not much," said Castle, "except that he risked his life to save Alexis. He's a good man."

"I guess you are brothers," said Beckett, shaking her head. "You can both be stubborn as mules."

Sticking Castle's jacket on the tip of Jayne's rifle, Mal opened the door just enough to display the jacket at about the right height.

A hail of bullets followed and glass from the double doors shattered about them.

"They shot my jacket full of holes," said Castle.

"Figured they would," Mal said.

"Well, why didn't you use your own coat?"

"You kiddin'? I'm attached to this coat," said Mal, with a lopsided grin.

The grin didn't last long, however. Mal called out, "You said you wouldn't shoot."

"Sorry. Won't happen again. You can come out now."

"I'm thinkin' right now I might not," Mal called back.

Another hail of bullets was the answer, and the last of the glass from the doorway flew around them.

"We can fall back," Mal said. "Take cover in the rooms back there. Only a few at a time can get through this doorway. We can pick them off as they enter."

"We'll still run out ammo before we take them all out," Zoe said. "Then they'll kill us for sure."

"Looks like they aim to kill us anyway," Mal said.

"Well, maybe not all of us," Jayne said. "Maybe just you."

Mal contemplated a retort, but before he could answer a loud noise outside caught his attention. Peeking out of the top half of the doors, he and Zoe watched as a shuttle flew from over the roof of their building down over the soldiers. They had to hit the dirt to avoid it.

"Who's that?" Mal asked.

"Inara," said Zoe. "She was on her way back from meetin' with the Companion Guild. Must have figured we might run into trouble."

"And you didn't tell me?" said Mal.

"You never asked," Zoe said. "Sir."

The shuttle gained altitude and bore to the east, followed by gunfire from the soldiers. Then it banked to the north, then westward.

"Oh, I know what she's going to do," said Mal. "Keep down, everyone, we might get wet."

"Wet?" Jayne asked. "Here? How in hell we gonna get wet?"

Just then, the shuttle brushed the top of the water tower, and, after teetering for a minute, it collapsed, spilling countless gallons of water onto the soldiers, sweeping most of them away.

A generous amount of that water also splashed through the doorframe, drenching the crew.

"That's our cue," said Mal, shaking the water from his head. "Let's make for the shuttle. Me'n Zoe will lead. Jayne, take the rear behind Richard and the detective. Shoot anyone fixin' to shoot us."

They exited the building, traveling as fast as the muddy ground would allow. In the confusion, there was little resistance to their escape, and what resistance there was was short-lived.

It didn't take long to reach the shuttle, but by that time everyone was near covered with mud. After clambering aboard, Castle asked, "Now what?"

"Gonna join up with our boat then visit an old friend," said Mal as he settled into the pilot's seat and started the engines.

And as the shuttle accelerated upwards, and Castle and Beckett stared slack-jawed through the window at the world shrinking below them, Castle grinned. "Isn't this great? We're going into _space_!"

* * *

_Acknowledgement_s

1. Agent Coulson in _Agents of Shield _said something along the lines of, "If I come out, are you going to shoot? 'Cause if you are, then I'm not coming out." This was the inspiration for the back-and-forth between Mal and the Alliance soldiers.

2. The Mandarin-speak used in this and other stories of mine largely comes from an article on angelfire dot com. Other background material on Firefly comes from firefly dot wikis dot com and Wikipedia.


	3. Chapter 3

Setting the shuttle to autopilot, Mal came aft to join the rest of the crew.

"I conjure you'll all be wantin' to ask a lot of questions," he said. "Best we wait 'till we're all together so's we don't repeat ourselves."

Noting the stares from Mal's crew, Castle said, "Well, how about introductions at least. You know, so we don't have to call each other 'hey you'."

Running a hand through his muddy hair, Mal said, "Richard Castle, Detective Beckett..."

"Kate," interjected Beckett with an uncertain smile.

"Kate," repeated Mal. "Zoe, and you've already met Jayne."

"That shuttle, it was piloted by another of your crew?" Castle asked.

Mal nodded. Then he clarified, "Well, not so much crew as payin' passenger. Though that was before. Right now, well, she's just Inara. She's a Companion."

"And what does a Companion do?" Beckett asked.

Mal's face went blank. He looked up at the ceiling then down at the floor before answering. "Well, the best way to put it is..."

"Basically, she's a..." Jayne started.

"Don't," said Zoe. "Don't say that word."

"She's a what?" Castle asked. He looked at Beckett who could only shrug her shoulders.

"She..." Mal started, then stopped.

"She has clients," Zoe said. "Helps them, you might say."

"Damn straight she does," Jayne said with a leer. "Helps them a _lot_."

"Not helpful, Jayne," said Mal. "OK, the best way to put it is... Actually, best let her explain. You'll be meetin' her in a few minutes when we rendezvous with Serenity. You want to see, the best place is the cockpit."

Relieved to have navigated his way out of that discussion, Mal returned to the pilot's chair and contacted Serenity.

"River, you there?" he asked.

"Monitoring your approach," came the answer. "Ready for docking."

"Acknowledged. River, the instant we're docked, set a course for Lilac. We need to make ourselves scarce."

As Mal began preparations for docking, Castle and Beckett entered the cockpit and stared out the viewport at the planet below and Serenity before them. Wide-eyed, they looked at each other, stunned.

"What have we got ourselves into this time?" Castle pondered.

Beckett shook her head. "I don't know, but we'll face it together."

As they embraced, Mal commented. "You two seem a might friendlier than last we met."

* * *

Inara was there to greet them as they stepped off the shuttle. Zoe came through the airlock first, and she and Inara hugged each other fiercely. When they separated, Inara backed up to let the others out. Castle was next off, and, stunned by Inara's beauty, stopped momentarily.

Her black hair was pulled up and off her ears which were adorned with large earrings. Her eyes were dark and mysterious, her oval face, flawless, and around her neck, an intricate necklace led his eye down to the swelling of her breasts. Blinking, Castle also noted the long, swirling, red and gold patterned dress draped about her delicate figure.

After regaining his senses a moment later, he said, "Hi, I'm…"

But he got no further as Inara slapped him in the face.

"Inara," said Zoe.

Inara turned. Zoe shook her head and beckoned towards Mal, who was just exiting the shuttle. Inara, her eyebrows raised, turned back and forth between Castle and Mal.

Raising an eyebrow, she said, "Sorry," to Castle, and as Mal approached, slapped him in the face.

Castle and Mal, looked at each other, both rubbing their cheeks. Mal shrugged his shoulders

"Good to see you, too," Mal said to Inara.

"That would imply you have feelings," said Inara. With that, she turned and strode towards her shuttle.

"Inara," Mal commanded.

The tone of his voice made her stop and turn.

"Kate here's a might dirty and hasn't a change of clothes. Reckon you could help her out with that?"

Regarding Beckett, Inara unclenched her fists and tried to smile. "Come with me," she said.

"Let's meet the galley in fifteen minutes," said Mal. Noting that Kaylee, Simon and River had joined them, he added, "All of you. We need to get to the truth of all this."

Turning to Castle, Mal said, "Come on with me. I expect we'll find some things that'll fit you."

As Castle and Beckett left with Mal and Inara, Kaylee, her eyes wide, turned to Simon and said, "_Lao tian, bu_. Two of them. Ain't that just grand. Who _is_ he?"

Simon shook his head. River, with a small smile on her face, said, "He's Mal. And Mal is him. They just don't know it yet."

* * *

Holding the airlock door open for Beckett, Inara said, "This is my shuttle. After you."

Beckett entered, then stopped abruptly.

"What's the matter?" asked Inara.

Gazing around her, Beckett said, "This is a spaceship?"

Beckett's first sensation was the pleasing smell of incense. Then she noted that the space was dimly lit with candles and lanterns. The decorations were red-themed, including the carpeting and plush fabric that formed ceiling and wall canopies. The furniture included a sofa, bed, and some small stands and chests.

The tenseness in Beckett's shoulders and face relaxed. Just by entering this room she began to feel more at ease.

Inara smiled. "It's home." Her smile fading, she added. "Was home. I don't know any more. Where's home for you?"

"Quite a ways away, I gather," Beckett said. "Right now, I'm not sure I'll ever see it again."

"Don't give up hope. Malcolm Reynolds may be the most difficult, maddening man alive, but he can be very resourceful when he needs to be."

"Hence the slap?" Beckett asked.

Blushing slightly, Inara answered, "That was unfortunate. I suppose I could have handled that better. Still, just try spending an hour with him."

Now it was Beckett's turn to smile. "I have done. And I think I do understand. Still," said Beckett looking at her hands and arms, "I really need to get cleaned up."

Inara raised an eyebrow, but despite her curiosity about where and when this woman had met Mal, she let it pass. Moving over to the wardrobe, she said, "Well, let's find something for you to wear. Then I'll leave you to wash and change."

* * *

Mal led the way to his bunk. When Castle reached the bottom of the ladder, he noted the simple, earth-tone decorations and furniture: the corner shelving unit, chair, table and bench, and a dwarf tree. It was all, not surprisingly, simple and functional.

As Castle examined his surroundings, Mal opened the wardrobe and withdrew trousers with suspenders, boots, and a tan shirt, tossing the clothing on the bed. Except for the shirt, Mal's being mauve, the two would look virtually identical.

Turning to Mal, and surprised that he had nothing to say, Castle said, "You don't seem particularly pleased to see me."

Mal gave him a tired smile. "I'm happy enough to see you. Problem is, if you're here, then the Alliance is meddling again, and that spells trouble, which I've already got in spades. My crew is angry and frustrated by the lack of work. We had a lot riding on this job. Now that it's _wan dan le_, we're left with almost nothing to fill the fuel tanks or our bellies when it comes to that. All that to say, sorry, but I'm a might distracted."

"I don't see a lot of books in here," Castle remarked.

"In these parts, folk don't have time for fairy tales," Mal said. "Spend most of their days just tryin' to get by."

Castle considered this. "You're a leader, and times are tough. I get that. You must have trouble sleeping sometimes, thinking about the day that's been or the day to come."

"That's a fact," Mal said.

"That's a good time to read."

Mal shrugged. Castle added, "Did you ever have a problem, one that you can almost see your way to solving, but not quite?"

"Let me guess," said Mal.

Nodding, Castle said, "Another great time to read. Just get your mind off the subject and let it percolate in the background. When you go back to it, chances are a solution will come to you."

"I'll let that notion percolate," Mal said, smiling. "Meantime, you better get cleaned up and changed. We all of us have a problem or two we need to find our way to solving."

* * *

When Beckett and Inara came to the galley, the rest of the crew were already seated and discussing the day's events. Now that they could see Beckett properly, without a coating of mud and grime, there was a general intake of breath. Beckett was beautiful. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, enhancing her finely chiseled face. She wore a simple but elegant knee-length blue dress with a V-neck and yellow sash around her waist. The dress was close fitting, yet swirled about her when she moved.

Kaylee was the first to speak. "My, aren't you pretty," she said.

Beckett could read the sincerity in her face and smiled in return. "Thanks," she said simply. "And, those overalls, they're just adorable."

"Aw, this old thing?" Kaylee said with a wink. "It's just something I threw on."

Mal and Castle were the last to arrive. And, dressed nearly identically, their near identical appearance was all the more apparent.

"_Wo de tien a_," said Simon.

"Well, this is going to be confusin'" Zoe said.

"I'm the one with the gun," Mal said.

"And I can tell you the proper use of _ironic_," Castle said with a grin.

With Beckett, Castle, and his crew all seated, Mal stood and began to recount the events that had brought them all together.

"Some of you already know at least a piece of what's going to be said here. Some don't. So it's all got to be said so's we all understand.

"A while ago, my crew learned that the Alliance was playin' with time travel. The results were a might unexpected and a lot disturbing."

Zoe lowered her head and Mal nodded. She'd lost her husband, again, though there was some small comfort in that this time they were at least able to say goodbye.

"We put a stop to that. Or so we thought. Later, we got a job to fetch some books for a client. One of those books was written by Richard Castle, this man here."

Castle smiled in response to the curious glances from the crew.

"That's when we realized there was someone pullin' strings in the background. Turns out-shouldn't have been a surprise, really-the one pullin' the strings was an Alliance operative."

After a moment of stunned silence, pandemonium erupted at the table.

"_Ni men dou bi zui_!" ordered Mal.

Again silence, but then Zoe said, "You're tellin' us this _now_? You said nothin' came of that lead."

"That's because what actually happened, well, you'd never have believed it. Not without proof. But now, Richard and Kate are here, so hopefully you will.

"What the operative said to me was this: that the Alliance had continued to perfect time travel, and that he, in fact, was from our future. Fifty years in our future. During that time they had also perfected human cloning. They'd gone back in time, back to Earth-That-Was, to meddle with our past. To change it for reasons only they know. But among the changes they made was to plant a clone of myself, hundreds of years ago. That clone is Richard."

Castle interjected. "You're making an assumption," he said.

"Which is?"

"That I'm cloned from you. It could be that we're both cloned from someone else."

Mal swallowed. "Fair enough," he said.

At this point, Jayne slammed his fist into the table. "Mal, what kind of yarn you spinnin' for us? These two don't exactly look to be hundreds of years old."

"When I woke up yesterday," Castle said, "the year was 2013."

Jayne's mouth opened again, then closed. The crew all exchanged glances with one another.

"Let me go on," said Mal. "The operative told me about a rogue operative who was opposed to the Alliance meddlin'. I'd have wanted to shake his hand, when it comes to that, 'xcept for his way of dealin' with it was to go back in time himself and try to kill Richard's daughter. The operative asked me to prevent that. I agreed, seein' how we was kin and all, and that operative met an untimely end. When I came back, only minutes had passed by our reckonin'. I kept my story simple so's you wouldn't think I was crazy."

Inara snorted.

"Leastways, no crazier than's normal," Mal said. "And that's what I know. Richard?"

"My friends call me Castle. Only my mother calls me Richard." Turning to Beckett, Castle suggested, "Why don't you start. Tell them what happened that morning."

"I'm a detective with the NYPD," Beckett started. When that was received with blank stares, she added, "The police. In New York City. On... Earth-That-Was, as you call it.

"I was about to go to work when I got a message from a colleague, or so I thought. There was an incident at a warehouse, and could I join them. When I got there, no one was around and the warehouse seemed deserted. I investigated but was grabbed from behind by someone. Someone very strong. Then I felt a prick on my neck, and the next thing I knew I was tied up in a dark room. That's when Castle came along."

"Similar story," Castle started. I got a message. It seemed to be from Beckett. I went to the warehouse, found Beckett, but someone sealed us into that room. A storage locker really, it seemed. At some point we fell asleep. We woke up when muscles here opened the door."

"So there was no explanation," Mal said. "No one gave you a mission."

Castle shook his head, then added, "A bit off topic, but I meant to tell you, you did a big favour when you showed up in our time. I mean, aside from saving Alexis' life. I hadn't finished writing _Naked Heat_. Bringing the completed novel with you meant I got a manuscript to my editor in record time."

Noting the blank stares around him, Castle added, "For what it's worth."

"Wait a minute," said Beckett. "You finished it _after_ reading the published version from the future?"

"That's right," Castle said.

"So when did you actually write the novel? I mean, the first time?" Beckett asked.

Castle shrugged. "It's all wibbly wobbly timey wimey, isn't it?"

"So," said Zoe, "You write books and she works for the law?"

"And we're engaged to be married," said Beckett.

Mal's eyes widened. "You're engaged? To her? You're braver than I thought."

"Nicely spoken, Mal," said Inara.

"Beckett is the inspiration for my books," said Castle. "I accompany her on cases and get ideas for my stories. She gets the benefit of my out-of-the-box thinking. Win-win."

"Out-of-the-box thinking," said Beckett. "So that's what you call it."

"Wait," said Kaylee. "You and Mal have the same DNA?"

Castle nodded.

"I'd like to run some tests if you don't mind," said Simon. "Just to confirm that."

"No problem," said Castle. "Um, you are a doctor, I take it?"

Smiling, Simon nodded.

"The best in the 'verse," River confirmed with a smile.

"And," continued Kaylee, "you're engaged to this woman here. You've expressed your _feelings_ for her?"

"Kaylee," Simon admonished.

"Just surprised is all," Kaylee said, eyeing Mal.

There was silence for a moment, then Beckett asked, "How did you happen to find us? That's quite a coincidence, don't you think? You clearly weren't expecting us to be there."

"We had a job to deliver medical and food supplies from that vault," said Mal. "That's what we expected to find."

"And when you say 'deliver', you really mean steal, don't you," Beckett said.

"Well, yeah," said Jayne.

"It ain't that simple," Mal said.

"I hear a lot of criminals say that," said Beckett. "It's no wonder the authorities were after you."

"Beckett..." whispered Castle, nudging her.

"_Zhen dao mei_," said Jayne. Now we've brought a fed on board. What's she gonna do, try to turn us all in?"

"Weren't you listening?" asked Simon. "She's one of us. Family. We don't turn each other in, do we?"

Jayne averted his eyes and mumbled something.

"Seems Kate needs to learn some things about the Alliance," Mal said. "River, you mind fillin' her in?"

River changed seats to sit across from Beckett.

"When I was a little girl," River began, "I joined an academy for advanced learning."

She described the years of experimentation and torture that followed until her rescue. Then she recounted the events that led to the disclosure of the truth about Miranda, including the death of millions on that planet, the creation of the Reavers, and the indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children on worlds that were friendly to the crew.

By the time River had finished, and folded her hands calmly in front of her on the table, Beckett was sobbing on Castle's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Beckett said, pulling herself together. "We'll do whatever we can to help, of course we will."

Castle nodded and looked at Mal. "And the first thing we'll do is get to the bottom of why we're here."

Mal nodded. "To that end, we're headed to our old friends on Lilac, the ones that proposed this job. I aim to get us some answers."


	4. Chapter 4

"The future looks remarkably like the past," said Beckett, as she and Mal walked along the dirt road that comprised Main Street.

Beckett had noticed neighbouring farmland and numerous wind turbines as they'd approached the town in the shuttle. Here on the ground, she could see that the buildings were low and simple, fashioned from wood, stone and concrete. Here and there stalls displayed locally crafted goods and trinkets.

"Technology's expensive in the outer rim," Mal said. "On the core planets, folk are pretty well off by comparison. That's where you'll find all sorts of shiny technology."

"Why do people settle here, then?" Beckett asked.

"Same reason as always," Mal said. "Out here, there's no one telling folk what to think."

"Freedom always comes with a price," Beckett commented.

"That's the truth of it. When we started to get too independent, that's when the war started. The Alliance doesn't pay attention until they think we're becoming a threat. Soon as they come to that way of thinking, we get lots of attention, and not the good kind."

"Well, just as well Castle's not here," said Beckett. "He'd have been expecting gleaming skyscrapers and flying cars."

* * *

"Ow!"

Castle, eyes wide with surprise, looked at his stinging hand. River was seated at Serenity's pilot's station, focussed on the instruments in front of her. Castle had been hovering about, eyes gleaming with delight, gazing one minute at the view of Lilac below, the next at the instrument panel. Then River had abruptly slapped his hand.

She'd seemed such a sweet girl.

"What was that for?" Castle asked.

"Don't touch it," River answered without looking at him.

"I didn't touch anything."

"You were going to," said River.

Shaking his head, Castle continued to devour the instrument panel with his eyes.

Lifting up her hand, River warned, "Don't touch that, either."

* * *

Mal paused and stared at the building beside them.

"What is it?" Beckett asked.

Drawing in a deep breath, he said, "Last time we were here, place was attacked by Reavers."

* * *

Castle felt light-headed for a moment and had to steady himself. River looked at him, puzzled.

"I'm OK. I think I'm going to go back to the galley for a bit," Castle said. "At least I'll be out of your hair."

Turning to him, River said, "You're not. And don't worry. You're here for a reason. You just have to find out what that is."

Castle stared at her. He was starting to think she could read his mind.

* * *

Beckett gulped. "Reavers. Those are the cannibals that River spoke of."

Mal nodded. "There's not as many as there used to be, but they're still out there."

"Well, that's comforting," Beckett said, as they continued to walk.

"I told you you didn't have to come," said Mal.

"And I told you that I did. This concerns me and Castle as much as you. Probably more. And I can take care of myself."

"Of that I have no doubt," said Mal with a smile. "Thanks for helping me persuade Richard that it was best he stayed behind."

"I could see that it'd be a problem if two of you show up at this guy's doorstep. So could Castle. He just had to show that he was prepared to come. That he wanted to."

Continuing to walk, Mal pointed up ahead. "It's just there. We turn right and its the third building to the left."

When they reached the building, Mal said, "Remember, something goes wrong, we're on our own. Zoe's going to take Serenity and get out of here."

"How's she going to know?" Beckett asked.

"We worked out a signal," Mal said simply.

* * *

Castle entered the galley and saw Inara standing at the counter, lost in thought.

She smiled when she noticed him. "Castle," she said. "I was just making some tea. Would you care for some?"

Sitting at the table, he said, "That would be great, actually."

"I must apologize again for before. That was quite inexcusable."

"Not to worry," said Castle with a wry smile. "I've given women plenty of reason to slap me in the past."

Pausing, Castle regarded Inara. "You and Mal must be particularly close."

"Why do you say that?" Inara asked, colouring slightly.

"Mal said that his crew were all upset with him. But you were the only one who actually expressed it," Castle pointed out.

As Inara poured the tea, she said, "Mal and I have a complicated relationship."

Sitting at the table across from Mal, she pass him a mug and took a sip from her own.

"I'll say one thing," said Inara. "If Mal had half of your insight, he'd be a much better man."

"He's a good man," said Mal. "He just keeps too much bottled up. I know something about loving someone who has trouble letting you in."

Inara said nothing, focussing intently on the mug of tea.

"You have to understand how disconcerting it is," Inara said finally, "to hear words like that spoken by that voice."

"Mal was in the Military," said Castle. "He commanded a lot of men. And he couldn't show weakness, not to anybody. That sort of thing doesn't come naturally, you have to learn it. And sometimes, it's harder to unlearn something than it is to learn it in the first place."

Inara said nothing, so Castle continued.

"Beckett's mother was killed-murdered-when she was still young. Solving that murder became her obsession. Everything she did, everyone she consorted with, was, at some level or another, a means to an end. It took years and a near-death experience for her to finally admit that she loved me back."

"And how did you deal with that?" Inara asked. "The waiting."

"I decided that I'd be there for her, simple as that. It was frustrating and difficult. Sometimes I gave up for a while and spent time with other women. But I could never kid myself. Not for long. I always knew that it was Beckett."

Inara sipped her tea in silence.

"Tell me about yourself," said Castle. "You said your relationship with Mal was complicated. Is that because you're a Companion?"

Eyes, wide, Inara nearly dropped her mug onto the table. When her eyes started to tear up, Castle moved to the chair next to her and put a hand tentatively on her shoulder.

Inara looked at Castle's face, then put her head on his shoulder and began to sob.

* * *

When she pulled herself together, Inara said, "You must truly think I'm a fool."

Castle shook his head. "I think nothing of the sort."

"Do you know what a Companion is?"

"No," said Castle. "I asked, but Mal said it was best if you explained."

Inara barked a short laugh. "I'm almost surprised. Mal never seemed to hold my profession in particularly high regard."

Collecting herself, Inara explained: "A Companion is licensed and trained by the Companion Guild from a young age, sometimes as young as twelve years old. You learn psychology, music, some of the combat arts. You learn society's protocols, religions, techniques for massage relaxation, and you learn how to satisfy a client's sexual needs.

"Companions are held in the highest regard throughout the verse. To be accompanied by a Companion is considered a great honour. A Companion chooses her clients. We help our clients psychologically, spiritually, and sexually.

"Mal and I had a business arrangement. I paid rent for the use of his shuttle. I visited clients in the outer-rim. This was advantageous to Mal in that the presence of a Companion could open doors that would otherwise be closed. One of the conditions of our relationship was that I would never service him or any of his crew."

"Ah," said Castle. "I think I see the 'complicated' now."

"But now…" Inara began, and paused.

Castle said nothing. He simply looked at her, a measure of understanding on his face.

Inara shook her head. How could this man share Mal's DNA?

"After the events concerning Miranda," Inara said, "I was summoned to a meeting with the Companion Guild. While this was unusual, it wasn't unheard of, and I thought little of it. Imagine my surprise, then, when I arrived only to face a tribunal. In light of my involvement in what the Guild determined was an unacceptable act of political interference, my membership was stripped from me. I'm not a Companion any more."

She looked at Castle and added, "I don't know what I am. I haven't even told the others yet. But somehow I feel comfortable disclosing this to you."

"I can only imagine what this means to you," Castle said. "If someone told me that I couldn't be a writer any more, I'd be devastated. Lost. Having said that, I know that we've just met, but I can tell that you're an accomplished, intelligent, beautiful woman. You'll find your way. You just need some time."

Inara smiled and wiped her eyes. "I'm so selfish," she said. "You've been taken across time and space, away from everyone you've ever known, and here you are consoling me."

"Well," said Castle, "I haven't lost everyone. I still have Beckett."

* * *

Travis Maize, alone in the nearly empty outer room, roused himself from a doze. He'd put his head down on the table for just a moment, or so he thought. Quickly looking around, he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't exactly supposed to be napping on the job. Lucky none of the others had spotted him.

As his head cleared, he realized that it was a pounding at the door that had wakened him. "Keep your gorram shirt on," he yelled. He was in a foul mood for having fallen asleep in the first place, and, having fallen asleep, being awakened.

Yanking open the door, he said in his best gruff voice, "What?"

The beautiful woman in front of him wasn't what he was expecting.

"Please!" she shrieked. "My husband. I don't know what's wrong with him, someone has to help!"

Travis looked up and down the lane, saw Mal laying face first on the ground, and shrugged. "You can't be here," he said, more softly than before. "You need to go."

"But my husband!" wailed Beckett, her eyes pleading. "What am I going to do?"

"Oh all right. Let's have a look."

He approached Mal and knelt down beside him. Beckett withdrew the pistol she'd tucked into her sash and clubbed him on the back of the head. Travis sprawled onto the ground next to Mal.

Turning over, Mal said, "I didn't know you cared."

Beckett shook her head. "I can so believe that you and Castle are brothers."

Castle stood and withdrew his pistol. "You get a look inside?"

"Small room, just him," Beckett said. "A door inside led to another room. That's where they'll be."

Approaching the building, Mal said, "There shouldn't be many and we have the element of surprise. I'll go in first and to the right. You take the left."

"Wait a minute," Beckett said.

Mal stopped.

"Is that even a real gun?" Beckett asked.

Chuckling, Mal said, "Don't start." Then he grimaced and clutched his head with his free hand.

"What is it?" Beckett asked.

Looking at her with surprise on his face, Mal said, "It just came to me. The reason Inara's so worked up. Well, reasons."

"And that is?"

"It'll keep for now. Let's go."

Mal entered the building, then kicked in the door to the inner room. Beckett followed immediately.

There were six men huddled around a table that was covered several inches deep in maps and documents.

"Freeze!" said Beckett. "Back up to the wall. All of you! Now, on your knees. Hands behind your head. Do it!"

The men, stunned, did as they were told. "It's him," one of them said. "It's really him."

"_Gao gan_," said another with wide eyes.

"Weasel," said Mal. "Why, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Weasel, Jordan Pinsent, was shorter than Mal, about 5 foot 9 inches, and older, with greying, closely cropped hair and a short ponytail.

"Weasel?" Beckett asked.

"Nickname he got in the war," Mal explained. "Managed to weasel out of all sorts of Alliance traps."

"Look, I'm just surprised is all," Weasel said. "What's this all about, Mal? You get the supplies like we talked about?"

"Funny about that," said Mal, pacing about the room while Beckett covered the men. "Surprise number one: there were no supplies."

"What?" said Weasel, in an almost believable expression of outrage.

"Shut up and listen," said Beckett.

"Surprise number two: the only thing in that vault was my friend here. Someone locked her inside. You know anything about that?"

"No, Mal, 'course not. I ain't never seen her before."

"And surprise number three," Mal concluded, "who should we meet up with but a whole platoon of Alliance soldiers. Now, how do you reckon they knew we were there?"

As he spoke, Mal had been examining the documents strewn over the desk.

"Gorram Alliance," Weasel spat out. "It's gettin' so's a man in these parts can't bend over with them comin' up and sniffin' your behind."

"I'm going to try to forget you said that," muttered Beckett.

"So it was just coincidence they were there, that what you're sayin'? Mal asked.

"Well, what do you think, Mal? After all we been through, in the war and all, think I'd just turn you in?"

"Not sure what to think just now," said Mal. "There's too many unanswered questions, and I'm not hearin' any answers. Why do you have maps of Beaumonde here? What does this have to do with the job?"

"Listen, Mal," Weasel said, "We gotta talk. But not here. Not like this. Let's go, you and me. We'll straighten this out."

While Weasel was speaking, Mal explored a supply cabinet and pulled out a length of rope.

"Couldn't agree more. Tell you what we're going to do," Mal said. "I'm going to gag and tie up your friends here, then you, me and Kate will go somewhere to have a nice talk."

Then, with his back to the men, Mal approached Beckett and whispered, "We'll take him with us to Serenity. River can see the truth of things."

A few minutes later, Mal and Weasel were walking side by side along Main Street with Beckett taking up the rear, her right hand near the pistol tucked into her sash.

"See, it's like this Mal," began Weasel. "Folk expected that after Miranda, things would get better. The Alliance would loosen their grip. 'Xcept that ain't what happened, and right now their grip is firmer than ever. Makes it even harder for independent minded folk like us to make a livin'. So I figure, it's gettin' time to resist. To take the fight to them."

Mal looked at Weasel. "War's over. We lost."

"I'm talkin' 'bout a different _kind_ of war. Not head-on fightin' but more discrete like. Alliance folk've never been touched by war. They've no idea what it means to lose loved ones right before your eyes. Maybe it's time they found out."

"Just what're you suggesting?" Mal asked.

"We send small teams to the core planets. Let them feel the pain we've all felt, seein' places we love burn, seein' folk we love die."

Mal stopped. "You want to kill innocents? That's your plan?"

"It's war, Mal."

"That ain't war, it's murder."

"Come on Mal, think about it. Afore long the Alliance folk will demand peace, get their government to leave us alone so's they can get on with their lives. You should join us. Hell, you should lead us. Folk look up you. Since the war, lots think of you as a hero. Look at the way my men back there reacted when you came in."

Mal was silent a moment. "So you did send the Alliance after us. Figured I likely wouldn't join you, and if Alliance soldiers killed me, not only would I not get in the way, I'd become a martyr for your cause."

Grinning, Weasel said, "See, I knew you was smart. But look, here we are now, together. I've said my piece. What do you say? You with us?"

Beckett, horrified by what this man had said, was shaking her head. Mal nodded to her slightly.

"I don't think so," Mal said quietly but firmly. "And I'm going to do everything I can to stop you."

Weasel shook his head. "Was afraid you'd say that," he said, and then let out a loud whistle.

* * *

Simon, having found Castle in the galley, invited him to the medical bay for some tests.

Once they arrived, he said, "Take your shirt off, and have a seat over here."

As he did so, Castle commented, "I imagine medical science has made some amazing advances over the years."

Simon, as he checked Castle's eyes, ears and throat, answered, "To be sure. But we can't cure everything. And out here, we haven't access to the latest equipment. You have to make do as best as you can."

After checking Castle's heart and measuring his blood pressure, Simon commented, "Well, you certainly seem healthy enough. And your body hasn't faced nearly the abuse your brother's has. I'd like to take a blood sample next."

"Fine," said Castle, still looking around. "Your sister certainly is interesting."

Smiling, Simon said, "She's truly one of a kind. You'll never meet anyone more intelligent."

"She's very perceptive," Castle said. "There were times I was sure she was reading my mind."

Simon paused for a moment, then continued withdrawing blood from Castle's arm.

Castle looked at his face, but could read nothing. Which told him something.

"You must love her very much," Castle commented. "You took a big risk rescuing her. Gave up a career with the best hospitals, I'm guessing."

"We were always very close," said Simon. "But I'm sure I didn't do anything that you wouldn't have done."

Castle nodded. "My daughter was kidnapped once. I broke a few rules to get her back. I guess there aren't many rules that matter when it comes to protecting your loved ones."

Simon smiled.

"What?" Castle asked.

"You sounded remarkably like Mal when you said that," said Simon.

Simon told Castle that he could dress himself and that the results of the DNA comparison would be available in a couple of minutes.

As Castle got to his feet, a puzzled expression appeared on his face, and he said, "Something's wrong." Then he collapsed in a heap.

When he came to, Castle found himself lying on the infirmary bed with Simon and Zoe looking down at him.

"What happened?" Castle asked.

But before they could answer, an alarm sounded, and River's voice came on the PA system.

"The captain's activated the emergency autopilot protocol," she announced. "The shuttle's on it's way back."

Zoe dashed out of medical towards the cockpit. Castle grabbed his shirt and followed, ignoring Simon's pleas to stay where he was.

"Captain on board the shuttle?" Zoe asked River.

"Unknown," River said.

Calling the engine room, Zoe said, "Kaylee, get the engines ready. Soon as the shuttle docks we're gettin' out of here."

"What?" Castle said. "We can't leave them there."

"Captain's orders," Zoe said. "If Weasel's turned against us, he'll have the Alliance on us just like Newhall. We can't be here when they arrive. If we're captured, we can't help the captain."

"But… Beckett's with him," Castle said, shock on his face.

"You should go back to your bunk," said Zoe. "Once we're clear, we'll have a briefing."

Stunned, Castle staggered out of the cockpit, down the corridor, and met Inara coming towards him.

"What's happened," she asked.

"Trouble," said Castle. But…"

"But what?" Inara asked, her eyes wide.

Castle's eyes narrowed, his forehead furrowed, and then he grinned. "I think I just realized why I'm here."


	5. Chapter 5

"Tied to a chair," said Beckett, who, along with Mal, was tied up to a chair. They were facing each other inside a small, unfurnished room, about four feet apart, with who knew how many guards on the other side of the door.

"It's entirely possible to get sick of being tied up to chairs," she concluded.

Mal chuckled. "It's happened before, I take it."

"More than you know," Beckett said as she tested her restraints.

"So you must be an expert at getting out of situations like this," suggested Mal.

Beckett shrugged. "More like an expert in waiting for Castle to rescue me."

Nodding, Mal said, "For me, it's Zoe. She'll always come pull me out of the fire. But we ain't goin' to see either of them anytime soon. For now it's just us."

"So, do you think they're going to kill us?" Beckett asked.

"No. At least, not yet," said Mal. "I think I know what Weasel's got planned."

"And what's that?"

"Everything he's done has one purpose: to further his cause. Question is, how to make our deaths further his cause? I think he'll take us to Beaumonde and make it look like the Alliance shot us during his attack. That accomplishes three things: gets me out of the way, makes it look like I supported his cause, and turns me into a martyr, enticing his people to take further action."

"Why is he doing this?" Beckett asked. "You know the man. You served with him."

Mal shrugged. "War does funny things to people. Some folk, once they get a taste for fightin', they can't let it go. The war ends, they feel they've lost their purpose. That's when they go lookin' for a new war. Or in Weasel's case, creatin' one."

* * *

The mood in Serenity's galley was sombre. Zoe, as glum as the others, nevertheless rallied herself and started the discussion.

"While he was on Lilac, the captain activated the shuttle's emergency autopilot protocol, meanin' that he ran into trouble. Neither he nor Kate were on board, so we have to assume Weasel's turned against us. That explains why there were no supplies in the vault on Newhall and how the Alliance knew we were there. It don't explain how Kate and Castle ended up in that vault, so somethin' else is at play here that we don't know about. For now, what we got to work out is, how do we get Kate and the captain back?"

"Hell, we don't even know Mal's still alive," said Jayne. "Or that Weasel's got 'im. Might be he just turned him over to the feds."

"Mal's alive," said Castle, "And the Alliance doesn't have him."

"You don't know that," Zoe said gently.

"Actually, I do," Castle said. "And more."

There was silence for a moment, then Zoe said, "We're listenin'."

Castle drew in a breath. "Even before I met Mal, I knew things about his life. I had visions of Reavers. I had a vision of your cargo hold full of cattle. Likewise, Mal had visions of my life. He saw a corpse covered with rose petals, with sunflowers placed over the eyes. That actually happened. It was the first case I worked on with Beckett. He also had visions of my mother and daughter, two women with red hair. And he saw the murder board at Beckett's precinct, a board covered with photos of murder victims, suspects, and notes."

Simon nodded. "It's true. You remember, Zoe. The captain wasn't sleeping well for a time. He came to me but there weren't any medical reasons for the condition. It finally passed."

Zoe nodded. "Was right around the time we did that book job."

"And I remember teasing him that he was dreaming about Saffron," said Inara.

Castle continued. "After Mal's visit to my time, I didn't have any more visions. Until today, while I was passed out in Simon's medical bay."

"We're still listenin'," Zoe said.

"What I saw before was much less distinct. We were separated in time by hundreds of years. This time, the vision was more detailed and longer. I saw Kate and a man, shorter than Mal, with short hair and a ponytail."

"Sounds like Weasel," said Zoe.

"And I saw maps of some place, some world. I don't know its name. But it was someplace beautiful. A beautiful world?"

There were shrugs and questioning looks around the table, until River said, "Beaumonde."

"There's such a place?" Castle asked. "That must be it. This Weasel guy is going to do something terrible there. I can still feel Mal's anger. I'm not sure what's going to happen. Something that could start a war. And Weasel needed to make sure Mal didn't interfere. No wait, it's more than that."

Castle closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands for a moment. Then he shot up again. "That's where he's going to kill Kate and Mal. He wants Mal to look like a martyr for his cause, bringing other independents into the conflict. He really does want war."

There was silence for a time, then Zoe asked, "Doctor, could this be true? Could these visions be real?"

"No," said Jayne absently as he played with his knife. Castle shot him a look of annoyance. Jayne glanced at him briefly, a bored expression on his face.

"I don't know if the visions are real," admitted Simon. "I don't know of any science that would explain them. Nevertheless, it does seem that Mal and Castle had visions of each others lives before. There's just no way to know _a priori _whether this is a true vision or just a hallucination."

River, seated next to Castle, had been looking at him intently as he spoke. "It's real," she said. "I can see it too."

Castle's mouth opened and shut. Then he said, "So you _can_ read my mind?"

River just smiled.

* * *

"Zoe served with you in the war, didn't she?" Beckett asked. "She always calls you 'sir'."

"We go way back, Zoe and me," Mal said. "Be lost without her."

"So you and Zoe…"

"Me and Zoe what?" Mal asked.

"You know…" said Beckett.

Mal laughed out loud. "No, its nothing like that. She's just… Zoe, is all."

Beckett was silent for a while. "You said you'd figured out why Inara was upset."

Mal dropped his head for a moment, then looked back up at Beckett. "Inara would have spoken to Zoe. Just before Newhall, Zoe told me she was pregnant. My reaction might have been different from what she was hopin' for."

"What did you say?" Beckett asked.

"OK."

Beckett's eyes widened. "OK? One of your closest friends tells you she's pregnant and you say OK?"

"You see?" said Mal. "That's why Inara's upset."

"Didn't you say anything else?"

Mal coughed. "Well, I might have asked her if she could still do the job we had."

Beckett shook her head. "How can anyone, even a man, be so clueless?"

"Funny, that's pretty much what Zoe and Kaylee said. She took me by surprise. And the first thing I thought was, am I gonna lose her? Fact is, I'm not sure I could do all this without her. I'm not sure I'd want to."

"And was there something else? You spoke of more than one thing."

"Odd how it just struck me like that, but it occurred to me, Inara gettin' called back to the Companion Guild, especially after Miranda, might be the opposite of a good thing. I'm thinkin' they may have stripped her of her membership. If that's a fact, then she's lost her livelihood. So of course she'd be upset."

Mal paused, then added, "If that'd occurred to me before, I might have been able to do somethin' for her. Before this happened."

Beckett didn't say anything, but looked at Mal with more sympathy than before.

"Not sure why I'm sayin' all this to you," Mal said. "Fact is, I rarely speak of what's on my mind. You need to make the kind of choices I do, lettin' your private affairs get in the way can get you killed."

"Maybe," said Beckett. "I was like you once, until Castle came along. And even then it was years and a near miss with death before I let him in."

Mal smirked slightly.

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, grow up. You know perfectly well what I mean."

"Sorry," said Mal. "You were being honest with me and that was uncalled for."

"You see? That's what you need to do. Take ownership of your limitations, admit them, then move forward. On Earth, you said that you thought of your crew as your family. Now you're telling me that letting people in can get you killed. I say, forging closer bonds with the people you consider family will make all of you stronger."

Mal regarded Beckett, then said, "You know, for a lawman, um, person, you can be pretty wise. I admit-see, I'm takin' ownership here-I admit I don't know how we're going to get you home, but I'll do everythin' in my power. 'Till then, you and Castle will always have a home on board my boat. Assumin' we get out of this alive. But if I know my crew, they'll be workin' right now on how to free us."

* * *

"That still don't make any sense," Jayne complained. "What's Weasel gonna do? Attack Beaumonde? With what? Even he can't be that stupid."

There was silence around the table until Castle said, "In my time, there are people, fanatically devoted to their cause, who use small teams to kill, destroy property, or inflict any kind of damage they can. Their goal is to cause suffering to those they feel are their enemies."

Zoe considered this. "It's possible. Maybe the only thing that makes sense."

"If we can figure out the target, then I know how to stop them and get Beckett and Mal back. But I'm going to need your help."

"Enough!" said Jayne, slamming his fist onto the table. "Why should we even be listenin' to this fancy talkin', pasty-faced, soft, _fei fei pi gu_?"

Getting up, Jayne moved close to Castle and, punctuating each phrase with a poke to Castle's chest, he added, "This ain't your boat, we ain't your crew, and you ain't Mal!"

Castle's eyes popped wide with surprise. Anger quickly took over. "My finance's life is at stake here!" Castle shouted back at Jayne. "And my brother's." His face black with fury, Castle charged away from the galley.

* * *

"What is it?" Beckett asked.

"I don't know," whispered Mal, shaking his head. "Not sure why, but suddenly I feel really pissed off at Jayne. Not that one needs a reason."

Just then the door burst open as Weasel entered, followed by three of his men.

"Gag them, bag them and tie their hands, boys. We're all goin' on a little trip."

* * *

"That weren't necessary, Jayne," Kaylee said as Castle disappeared. "He's just tryin' to help."

"Reminds me," said Zoe. "Doctor, you tested Castle's DNA?"

Simon nodded. "It's a perfect match."

Shaking her head, Zoe said, "Well, we still need to work out the target, assuming the target's actually on Beaumonde. We may need…"

But Zoe didn't finish her sentence as the sound of footsteps caused the crew to turn their heads. Castle was returning, dressed in Mal's coat with a holster attached to his leg.

Jaw trembling with anger, Castle drew his pistol quick as lightning and pointed it at Jayne, inches from his face.

"I said that I can get Beckett and Mal back if you help," said Castle. "If you won't help, you're of no use. So give me one good gorram reason why I shouldn't just pull this trigger."

Stunned, the crew was speechless. Kaylee turned her head to and fro, terrified. Zoe's hand slowly inched towards her holstered weapon.

Jayne, as surprised at first as the rest of them, bared his teeth in a wolf-like grin and said, "Now _that's_ more like it."

Castle held the pistol level for a moment longer, then holstered it. A sigh of relief went around the table.

"If we've got that settled," Castle said, "let's get to work."

Castle, now the only one standing, watched the crew look at him. Their expressions ranged from a surprise to amusement to wonder.

"If my plan is going to work, I need to become Mal. People need to believe I _am_ Mal."

"Looks like you've already made a good start," Kaylee commented as she clasped her shaking hands together. "I thought you were a nice man."

"Not now, Kaylee," said Zoe. Then, turning to Castle, she said, "And how do you suggest you do that?" Zoe asked.

How indeed, Castle wondered. This is how it began. How do I define who I am? Who anyone is? Then it came to him.

"Tell me about the choices he's made," Castle said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Please note that this story rating has changed from K+ to T for mature situations in this chapter.**

* * *

_"If my plan is going to work, I need to become Mal. People need to believe I _am_ Mal."_

_"Looks like you've already made a good start," Kaylee commented as she clasped her shaking hands together. "I thought you were a nice man."_

_"Not now, Kaylee," said Zoe. Then, turning to Castle, she said, "And how do you suggest you do that?" Zoe asked. _

_How indeed, Castle wondered. This is how it began. How do I define who I am? Who anyone is? Then it came to him._

_"Tell me about the choices he's made," Castle said. _

* * *

"Fine," said Zoe, "but you need more than that. You don't talk like Mal. You don't move like Mal. And you need to know how to handle yourself if things go to _gou shi_, which they always do. I'm guessin' a storyteller don't get into a lot of fights."

"You've never met my editors," Castle said.

Ignoring him, Zoe continued, "But before all of that, you need to tell us about this plan of yours."

"Well," said Castle, "it's not a _complete_ plan, but it's a good start."

"What percentage complete we talkin' 'bout?" asked Jayne.

Shifting uncomfortably on his feet, Castle said, "It's at least 12% of a plan."

Jayne laughed. "That's no plan. You got nothin'."

"That's not nothin'. Nothing. It's something," said Castle. "It's a start. With some pieces to be filled in."

"Go on," said Zoe.

"We've got two tasks: rescue Beckett and Mal, and stop Weasel from doing... whatever he's going to do. We need to execute them both at the same time. If we rescue Mal first, word will get to Weasel and he'll just make himself scarce. So, two tasks, two teams. One rescues Mal, one stops Weasel.

"Stopping Weasel is where I come in," Castle continued. "He thinks Mal's locked away where he can't do any harm, and he's probably got his people believing that Mal supports the action they're going to take. He won't be expecting Mal to just walk up and talk sense directly to his people."

"You think he's going to just let you do that?" Zoe asked.

Castle smiled. "I think he's not going to have a choice. So the first blank to be filled in is, where will they keep Mal? You and Mal and Weasel all served with the Independents. You must have a lot of contacts in common. Someone must know if Weasel has a safe house on Beaumonde."

Zoe nodded, thinking. "And we've got plenty of contacts on Beaumonde. I'll send a wave and see what I can find out."

"A wave. Great," said Castle. "The second blank is, what is Weasel going to do? Mal knows what's at stake. Knowing him, he's going find out. And when he knows, I'll know."

"It's a start," said Zoe. "Jayne why don't you start preparin' Castle with some basic combat techniques."

The smile that came upon Jayne's face was pure evil. "Oh, this is gonna be _fun_," he said. "Meet me in the cargo bay in ten minutes."

Castle gulped.

"In the meantime," said Zoe, "River, we need you to get us to…"

But before she could finish, Castle interjected, nearly jumping up and down in his excitement. "Let me! Let me!" he said.

The others all stared at him as Castle cleared his throat and, in as deep a voice as he could muster, said, "Set course for Beaumonde. Maximum warp."

The crew continued to stare, their mouths hanging open.

"What?" asked Castle.

Shaking her head, Zoe said, "River, please just get us to Beaumonde." Heading for the cockpit, she cast a glance back at Castle and said, "We have a lot of work to do."

River followed her, whispering to Castle on the way, "There's no such thing as warp drive."

Castle's eyes widened. "No such thing? Well that's… disappointing."

The crew started to disperse back to their duties. As Kaylee headed towards the engine room, she whispered to Simon, "One minute he's Mal, the next he's an overgrown kid. Who _is_ he?"

"At this point," said Simon, "I think he's whoever he needs to be."

* * *

A few hours later found Castle knocking on the door of Inara's shuttle. "Can I come in?" he asked.

Not hearing a response right away, Castle poked his head around the corner. Inara, seated on the sofa, was smiling.

As Castle, stunned by the decor, drank it all in, Inara said, "Sorry I didn't answer right away. Out of habit, I was about to tell you to get out of my shuttle."

"You say that to Mal a lot, do you?" said Castle, stepping forward.

Inara nodded. "Although I have to admit it rarely does any good."

Castle shucked his coat, leaving it on the floor, and dropped down onto the sofa beside her.

Her smile faded and a look of concern came over her face. Inara said, "Your hands are trembling. What is it?"

"I'm exhausted," said Castle with a weary smile. "Jayne's been beating the crap out of me, Zoe's been feeding me information out of a firehose, and I'm wound up tighter than a drum. I'm not sure I can do this."

"You've taken on a heavy burden," Inara said. "But acting like Mal isn't difficult. Just say the most maddening thing that comes to mind."

"Thanks," said Castle. "I needed a laugh just then. Honestly, though, what I really need is some sleep. But I just can't."

Inara placed a hand on Castle's shoulder. "I know some techniques that can help you relax. If you'll allow me?"

"Please," said Castle.

* * *

Beckett and Mal, seated on wooden chairs in a bare room, were helpless as they were bound by Weasel's men at gunpoint. Weasel stood watch, a grim smile on his face.

"This is your last chance, Mal. Say you'll support me and I'll let you and the girl go," Weasel said.

"Girl?" said Beckett.

"You know I can't do that, Weasel," Mal said. "But since you're gonna kill us anyway, might as well let us know what 'xactly we're dyin' for. What is it you're gonna do?"

"Fair 'nough. Oh, you'll like it. Turns out, one of the Parliament's ministers during the war, the one who directed the overall strategy you might say, he's retired and livin' right here on Beaumonde."

"So you're gonna kill him," Mal said.

"Oh no. He's gonna live. It's his family what's gonna die. Right before his eyes. We'll destroy his home with his family in it while he watches. Now, that's what I call justice."

Horrified, Mal said, "You'll be no better than them. Worse."

"Come on, Mal. How many of us lost loved ones during the war. I call it retribution."

Shaking his head, Mal said. "OK, you're gonna do this, make it look like I was in on it, kill me, and make that look like the work of the Alliance. I get that. I'd do the same in your situation. Just do me one favour, for old time's sake. Let me give my woman here a goodbye kiss. Please."

"What?" Beckett whispered, her eyes wide.

"Trust me. Follow my lead." Mal whispered back.

Weasel chuckled. "You still think I'm some kind of softy after all this? Well, why not. One more for the road, eh? Let 'em up, boys. Let them have their goodbye kiss." And with that, he left the room.

Mal and Beckett, their hands tied behind their backs, stood, approached each other, and kissed. Beckett started to pull back after a moment, but Mal's lips followed her insistently, and they kissed longer, mouths open, tongues exploring and probing.

Finally, the men pulled them roughly apart. "Alright, that's enough of that," said one.

As Castle and Beckett caught their breath, they were bound to the chairs. All but one guard left the room. The remaining guard took up his position in front of the door.

Beckett shot Mal a _what-the-hell_ glance.

"A story for my brother," Mal whispered.

Understanding dawned on Beckett's face.

* * *

Kaylee, seated in the galley, looked up when Inara came to join her.

"Hey, Inara. You seen Castle? No one else has."

"He's asleep in my shuttle," said Inara as she set the kettle to boil.

"Inara!" said Kaylee. "He's engaged."

"Oh, please," said Inara with a smile. "You don't think…"

But Inara was interrupted when Castle came dashing to the galley, grinning ear-to-ear.

"Good, was it?" Kaylee said, pointedly not looking at Castle.

"It was great!" said Castle. "Wait, what? What do you mean? Never mind, something's come up. Where's Zoe?"

"I'm here," said Zoe, joining the others. "What's happened?"

"He did it," Castle said. "I know what Weasel's going to do."

* * *

After Zoe had assembled the crew, Castle described his latest vision.

When he finished, Zoe said, "There's a lot ridin' on this. There are lives. Years of war, maybe. Are you sure? Was this for real?"

"I think so," Castle said. "It was as real and vivid as any other vision I've had. More so, if anything. And it makes sense. If we can locate the home of this minister, that should be pretty good confirmation."

Zoe nodded. "River, use the cortex and get on this. Find out if the minister is on Beaumonde, and if so, where. When we land, we'll split up into two teams. We have good lead on where Weasel's likely keepin' Mal and Kate. River and Jayne, you'll get into position to free them. Castle and I will go to the minister's home and wait for Weasel to make his move. Do nothin' until I give the go-ahead."

"Wait," said Castle. "You're going to send… River to face Weasel's thugs?"

River, on her way back to the cockpit, poked Castle in the chest and said, "No power in the 'verse can stop me."

* * *

_Acknowledgements_

_It's at least 12% of a plan_. Do I really have to say it? This is borrowed (with love) from the _Guardians of the Galaxy _movie.


	7. Chapter 7

As Serenity settled onto it's docking clamps and the cargo bay door opened, Richard Castle stood and drank in the sights, sounds and smells of a new world. Zoe came up to him and nodded, and they descended the ramp, followed by Jayne and River.

Kaylee, manning the controls for the door, her face beaming and eyes twinkling, called after them, "Good luck!" before closing it again. Her face fell slightly when the others were out of sight.

"They can do this, right?" Kaylee asked Simon.

Taking her in his arms, he said. "Castle spoke to me about his daughter. She was kidnapped once, you know, and he said there aren't many rules that matter when it comes to protecting your loved ones. He'll do what's needed to get Mal and Kate back. They'll be fine."

As they stepped off the ramp, Castle's head swivelled to-and-fro, a wide grin on his face. "Sweet!" he said. "This is like something out of _Blade Runner_."

It was evening but the surroundings were well lit by street lamps, signs, and offices. The city was crowded, packed with buildings large and small, and throngs of people coming and going. Some buildings were constructed in the style of Chinese pagodas, others were straightforward skyscrapers, and still others were a hybrid. There were overhead power lines, to Castle's surprise. Chinese lanterns were strung over some of the streets. Signs were garish, brightly lit, and mostly in Mandarin.

A sound drew Castle's gaze upwards and his mouth gaped. "A flying car!" he said. "Look, a flying car."

"You're supposed to be blendin' in," Zoe whispered. "You're supposed to be Mal, remember?"

"Right," said Castle, as he touched the lapels of his coat. "Ain't no call to be gawking at any gorram flying car."

"Yup," said Jayne, "this is gonna go _real_ well."

While Jayne and River took the road directly ahead, Zoe led Castle along a narrow walkway to the left through a throng of hawkers and buyers. The air was rich with the smell of spices, animals, and sweat. After a few minutes, Castle tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to wait.

But before he could explain, a public address system announced, "Would the doctor who arrived at gate 14 please return to security."

Ahead of them, a tall, gawky man in a long frock coat and bow tie spun about.

"What?" he said. "That shouldn't have happened."

With a severe frown on his face the man marched back the way he'd come and came to a stop in front of Castle. Jutting his face inches from Castle's, he repeated, "It shouldn't have happened!"

"Right," said, Castle, backing up slightly. "It shouldn't have happened."

With a "humph", the man turned and continued on his way.

"You know him?" Zoe asked.

"Are you kidding?" said Castle. "Anyway, I just want to pop into this store for a moment."

"We ain't got time..." Zoe began, but Castle had already gone."... to go shoppin' for souvenirs."

When he emerged a few minutes later, Castle speeded towards Zoe and suggested they hurry along.

"We'll catch a transport over there," Zoe said, pointing. "Shouldn't take long to get to the minister's residence."

"Then we wait for Weasel to make his move," said Castle.

* * *

Weasel's safe house was located, to no one's surprise, in the oldest, poorest, and most dangerous part of the city. As they progressed on foot, River and Jayne found that the streets became narrower, darker, and more deserted.

At one point they were accosted by a gang of a half dozen teens armed with knives. River and Jayne looked at each other, then River told the youths, "You've just brought knives to a gunfight."

On cue, and with a bored expression on his face, Jayne withdrew his semi-automatic. The gang dispersed.

Smiling, River said, "Scattering like leaves on the wind."

"Stow the pretty talk," Jayne said. "We got a ways to go yet."

"You think I'm pretty?" said River.

As Jayne mumbled a series of Mandarin curses, River laughed silently to herself.

* * *

Hours later, muscles cramped from kneeling in the bushes, Castle commented, "I never was much into stakeouts."

The minister's home was large but not palatial. Three stories tall, it stood on a two-acre lot on the outskirts of the city, at the end of a quiet street. The nearest neighbour was half a mile away. Behind the estate and to the far side, the land sloped down sharply to a treed valley several tens of feet below.

Aside from the stars and the partially visible cortex moon, the only light was from a few windows and the small lanterns lining the path from the road to the house. The only sound came from the odd insect chirp.

Ignoring Castle's comment, Zoe contacted Jayne. "You in position?" she asked.

"Waitin' on your signal," Jayne replied.

"Stand by," said Zoe, signing off.

"There," said Castle, tapping Zoe's shoulder. "Listen."

Turning their heads to the road, they both heard the hum of a transport approaching. Its lights must have been off, for they heard rather than saw that it came to a stop in front of the house.

"This is it," whispered Zoe.

The lights in the house and along the path suddenly went dark.

"The opening act," Castle whispered back.

The transport opened and figures slipped out and up the path to the house. Castle thought he could make out a dozen or so. They split up, some taking up positions by the front of the house, others moving to the side entrance.

Both teams entered the house simultaneously. This was followed, moments later, by screams and shouts, then silence. Finally, some figures emerged from the front entrance, one of whom was clearly being dragged against his will.

One of the men whistled loudly. In response, a floodlight shone from the vehicle straight up the path, illuminating the group. The man dragging the prisoner stopped, the light making his face clearly visible. He let the prisoner fall to the ground. The others gathered in front of him, several feet away, their backs to the light.

"Weasel?" Castle asked.

Zoe nodded.

"He certainly enjoys the spotlight, doesn't he?" Castle said.

"Let's go," said Zoe, as a signal to both Castle and Jayne.

"Showtime," said Castle, taking a deep breath and raising himself to a crouched position. At Zoe's nod, they split up to move quietly to their respective positions.

"Well," Weasel shouted to his men, "this is the moment we've been waitin' for. A new beginnin'. This time, it's the Alliance what will be on the run. Always lookin' over their shoulder. Never knowin' if they're safe. That sound familiar?"

A chorus of yea's erupted.

"Sure it does," continued Weasel. "It's what we Independents had to suffer. But no more, eh?"

"No more!" the men echoed.

The prisoner, who had been curled up on the ground, gagged, hands and legs bound, was brought to his feet by one of Weasel's men. Weasel took hold of him and the man joined the others as they awaited Weasel's next move.

Weasel took a moment, looking at his men, then back at the minister.

Addressing the minister now, Weasel said, "Now, we're not gonna kill you. Won't even harm a hair on your head. This nice house of yours, though, well, it won't be so lucky. Neither will your family, since they'll be inside when we blow the place the hell up."

At this, the minister started to struggle, causing Weasel to grin wickedly.

"He seems a might upset, boys. Maybe it's time to put him out of his misery. What do you say?"

A chorus of cheers was the answer. But as the cheers died down, there was a sound from somewhere in the dark, and Weasel felt the cold barrel of a pistol pressed against his temple.

* * *

Eugene and Serge, two guns-for-hire with bull necks, broad chests, and arms thicker than most men's thighs, stood outside the door of a dilapidated, single story building. The street and sidewalk around them were crumbling ruins. A single, flickering streetlight half a block to the west was the only illumination.

Highly disciplined, they were used to standing guard for long periods. Still they found themselves having to shift their feet more frequently as the evening progressed. And they were bored. So when Eugene spotted the thin girl wearing a long, shapeless dress and army boots, he smiled and elbowed his companion.

"Hey," he said, "check this out."

"Wow," Serge replied. "I'm getting scared already. This should be interesting."

When she got closer, the girl batted her eyes and said, "Hi, can you help me? I'm looking for Malcolm Reynolds. I'm here to rescue him."

The men blinked in surprise. And, when they woke up hours later, they weren't at all certain how it was they had lost consciousness.

* * *

Mal and Beckett, still bound to chairs in Weasel's safe house, had been silent for a time when Beckett said, "Well, if we're going to be stuck here any longer, at least we should be comfortable. Do you find it hot in here?"

Mal was about to say no, but caught Beckett's eye. "You know, I was just gonna remark on the heat. I feel like _ri shao gou shi bing_."

"Exactly," said Beckett, without a clue as to what Mal had just said. "Hey you," she said to the guard. "Would you do me a favour and undo a couple of buttons on the front of my dress? The heat is just killing me."

The guards eyes widened a bit, but his face quickly resumed its flat expression. Mal smiled as he began to understand Beckett's plan. As she spoke, he tried to inch his chair closer to hers.

"Oh c'mon," pleaded Beckett. "I feel so _hot_. Tell you what, undo as many as you like. I don't care. I just need some _relief_. _Please_."

The guard's hands twitched for a moment as he struggled with himself until, finally, he gave in and moved in front of Beckett.

Beckett closed her eyes, tilted her head up, and smiled as sensuously as she could manage. When she felt the guard undo the first button, she said, "Oh _yes_. Please, don't stop."

Another button. Beckett murmured an encouraging sound.

The guards hand wandered a bit as he found his way to the third button. Beckett gasped slightly and bit her lower lip.

When the guard opened the button, Beckett's eyes popped open and she dealt the guard a severe headbutt.

He staggered back. Mal was able to tilt his chair enough so he could butt him back towards Beckett, who in turn gave him a hefty headbutt to the midsection. The guard went down, gasping for air. Mal tilted his chair to the side and landed on top of the guard's chest. Maneuvering his body to the left, Mal delivered one more headbutt and the guard was out.

The fall having loosened the arm of Mal's chair, he was able to wrench one arm free and then untie himself and Beckett.

"Hundreds of years, and men haven't changed a bit," Beckett lamented as she stood and refastened her buttons.

"We are a might predictable at that," admitted Mal as he scooped up the guards pistol.

Kate stood to the left of the door as Mal reached for the knob.

"Ready?" asked Mal.

Kate nodded. But just then, the door seemed to explode, pushing Mal backwards onto the floor. Jayne and River poured into the room and stopped.

Noticing Beckett to the right and Mal down on the floor, Jayne said, "You OK, Mal?"

"Been better," Mal said, wiping the blood from his lip as he got to his feet.

"We've got to get to Weasel and stop him," said Mal.

"You already are," said River.

* * *

"Well, look at this," said Castle, his right arm extended, holding a pistol to Weasel's head. "Appears we got here just in the nick of time. What does that make us, Zoe?"

"Big damn heroes, sir," said Zoe, stepping out of the darkness. She moved between Castle and the other men, her gun pointed in their direction.

"Ain't we just!" said Castle.

"Mal?" said Weasel, his eyes popping wide open. Letting go of the minister, he added, "How'd you… I mean, what's this 'bout, Mal?"

Weasel's eyes shifted from Castle for a moment, then back again. Castle steadied himself, then twisted, his elbow connecting with the midsection of the man trying to sneak up on him. As he doubled over, Castle delivered a swift kick to the groin that dispatched him completely. The man fell over on the ground, groaning.

"I believe you all know me," Castle said, addressing Weasel's men. "Name's Malcolm Reynolds. Fought with the Independents, like you. Lost many good friends and comrades through the war, right up to Serenity Valley."

Keeping his gun pressed against Weasel's skull, Castle continued. "Now seems to me that you've been workin' under a misapprehension. You've been led to believe that I support what you're doin'. That I'm behind it 100%. That ain't exactly the truth. And when I told my good friend Weasel so, he took me captive, was going to kill me. Make it look like the work of the Alliance."

"That ain't so!" Weasel blurted out. "He's lyin'."

Castle pressed the pistol against Weasel more firmly. "You want to think real careful 'bout what words come out of that mouth next. Anything other than the truth, they'll be your last."

Weasel's men were shuffling about, looking at each other questioningly.

"This true, Weasel?" one of them asked.

Another asked, "What's this about, Sarge? We gotta fight for what's right. Don't we?"

"And this is right?" Castle said. "Murdering a family in cold blood? We're defined by our choices, all of us. Is this our choice? Is this who we are?"

After giving them a moment to think about this, Castle continued. "I know a thing or two about history, going way back to Earth-That-Was. Back then, some people fought like you're about to, killing civilians to make a point. But what came of that? Revenge. Then more revenge.

"You do this, what do you think the Alliance will do? What would you do? They'll come after us. Kill not just one family but a whole town. Then we strike back, then them, and it never ends. Hate building on hate until no one remembers what they're fightin' for. All they know is the hate."

After another pause, Castle said, "None of us likes the Alliance. Just want to be left on our own is all. So how do we fight? How do we make things better? It's real simple if you think about it. You don't tear things down. You build them up. A brick at a time. Make your loved ones lives better, any way you can, any small way.

"Sure, the Alliance puts a gun to our head, we fight. We fight hard. But we don't go lookin' for a fight. We already did that, and we lost. That war's done, and most folk have had their fill for one lifetime.

"But here's the bottom line. You still want to do this, you have to kill me'n Zoe too, 'cause we say this is wrong, and we'll die if we have to, to stop you."

Weasel, veins popping out of his face, was near apoplectic. When his men started to shuffle away into the darkness, he screamed. "Wait!" he called out, no longer caring if Mal shot him. "We gotta do this, gotta teach the Alliance a lesson. Pay them back. We gotta pay them back!"

In a few moments, they were gone, leaving Mal, Zoe, Weasel and the minister.

Training her gun on Weasel, Zoe said, "I got him."

Castle went to the minister, knelt down, and cut his bonds with his pocketknife, the same one with which he'd freed Beckett an age ago.

As he helped the man to his feet, Castle stepped back, then froze, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

The minister didn't seem to notice. "Mr. Reynolds? Thank you. Thank you for saving my family." He shook Castle's hand furiously. Castle, his eyes still wide, simply nodded.

"I owe you a debt. My whole family does. I'll never forget this."

"We're going to tie up Weasel here and leave him with you," Zoe said. "You gonna call the authorities?"

The minister looked at Weasel through narrowed eyes. "Oh, I think I can find a department in the Alliance that will be very interested in debriefing our friend. I can assure you, it won't be pleasant."

After Weasel was well-bound, and they were on their way back to Serenity, Zoe checked in with Jayne. "What's your status?" she asked.

"We got 'em," Jayne said. "You?"

"Job's done," Zoe said simply. "See you back at Serenity."

Then, after giving Castle an appraising look, Zoe said, "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Castle, wiping the sweat from his forehead said, "Thanks. But I need to talk to Mal. There's something he's going to want to know."

* * *

By the time Castle and Zoe reached Serenity, a wave had arrived from the docking authority to the effect that their permit had been extended indefinitely. There was no need to leave in a hurry.

Mal and the others arrived about an hour later. Beckett and Castle embraced with such passion that the rest of the crew had to turn their heads in embarrassment. All except Jayne, who sat and watched them as he munched on a snack.

When he emerged to take a breath, Castle went to Mal.

"You're not going to kiss me, are you?" Mal asked.

Castle put his hands on Mal's shoulders and said, "Only if you want me to."

After a brief hug, Castle stepped back and said, "This thing we have, this connection, it really came in handy."

"Saved us from a war, I figure," said Mal. "_You_ saved us from a war. I must say, I'm a might proud of my brother."

Grinning, Castle said, "Thanks. You know, the last vision I had, the one that told me about Weasel's plan, it was so vivid. Must be because there was so much at stake. The only problem was it interrupted this great dream about me and Beckett."

Beckett and Mal glanced at each other, then looked at nothing in particular as they shuffled their feet uncomfortably.

Confused as he looked at the two of them, understanding gradually dawned on Castle's face. "No way," he said. "Really? Beckett?"

Castle turned to Inara, whose face was darkening quickly.

"It wasn't Kate's fault," said Mal. "I needed to make sure you got the message. Seemed our visions were triggered by lots of emotion."

"So you kissed my fiancé."

"I assure you," said Mal, "I didn't enjoy it."

"Thanks a lot," said Beckett.

"You know what?" said Mal. "I'm gonna just sit down here and shut up before I get into any more trouble."

"Just as well," said Castle. "I have to tell you something and you'll want to be sitting down."

This caused the rest of the crew to interrupt their conversations and take a seat.

"When all was said and done, I got a good look at the minister. He's the spitting image of the operative who came back to kill Alexis."

Mal was stunned for a moment. "But it wasn't him," Mal said. "Couldn't have been. That operative came from 50 years in our future."

"Then the minister is going to have a son, and _he'll_ become the operative," concluded Castle.

After pondering this, Mal said, "It's possible. I was told that this operative wouldn't try to kill me. This must be why. The son believed I'd saved his family. Except it wasn't me, of course, it was you."

After another pause, Mal continued. "You realize what this means don't you?"

"What?" asked Castle.

"We could stop that from ever happening," suggested Mal.

Now Castle was stunned, as was the whole crew.

Inara recovered first. "Malcolm Reynolds!" she said.

Mal held up his hand. "I'm not sayin' we _should_ do it. I'm sayin' we _could_ do it."

"But we wouldn't. You wouldn't, would you?" said Castle.

"Zoe told me 'bout how you talked Weasel's men down, and how it's our choices that define who we are. My choice is that people matter. They matter more than anything."

Looking in Inara's direction, he concluded, "So no, I wouldn't. Not ever."

After a collective sigh of relief, Mal got to his feet. "Well, I don't know about all you people, but I do believe a celebration is in order."

"Now that's my kind of philosophy," said Jayne. "I'll drink to that."

The following morning, as the crew sluggishly returned to their stations, the Harbour Master contacted Serenity. A number of supply crates were on route to their loading bay, along with a protocol for requesting any additional supplies as required. When the cargo arrived, among the electronics, engine parts, food, and medical supplies, was an unmarked crate.

Curious, Jayne popped the lid off. Kaylee found him a few minutes later, stock still in front of it, transfixed by its contents. When she peered into the crate to see what had so fascinated him, she stepped back and said, "Oh my." It was full of unmarked gold bars. Jayne turned to her and positively leered.

Castle and Beckett were able to make themselves useful in the handling of the cargo. They were back to wearing their normal clothing, thanks to Kaylee's laundering efforts the day before. As they worked, they talked about their respective adventures. Beckett was astonished at the risk Castle had taken.

"That was possibly the stupidest thing you've ever done," Beckett said, "and that's saying something. But it was also the bravest. I'm proud of you, Castle."

"Well, you don't have to worry about me making a habit of this kind of thing," Castle said. "But now that this is over, we have to work out how to get back home."

Beckett set down the crate she'd been carrying and looked at Castle with a sad smile. "I'm not saying we shouldn't try, but I think we should prepare ourselves for the possibility we'll never get back."

After the better part of the day, the new inventory was tallied, accounted for, and stored. Mal was stretching his aching muscles when Zoe called him to the bridge. Serenity had received an encrypted wave.

"You're gonna want to see this, sir," Zoe said as Mal approached. "It's just a location. Here on Beaumonde. You've been there before."

* * *

It was dusk, the sun setting behind them as Mal and Castle approached the isolated, single story dwelling on the eastern edge of the city. Knowing what he would find within, Mal didn't kick the door in this time. But when he entered, the man seated on the sofa was different. Mal looked at him closely. He was younger, his face less lined, and there was no silver in his hair. Mal sensed an opportunity to throw the operative off guard.

"Captain Reynolds," said the man. "Thank you for joining me. And I see you've brought your brother. Excellent."

"This may be difficult for the Alliance to understand," said Mal, "but most folk don't appreciate being played like puppets."

The man smiled. "I see you've inferred I'm with the Alliance. But there's something perhaps you don't know."

"Actually, I do," Mal interrupted. "You're an operative from the future, a few years shy of fifty."

Mal enjoyed the brief flicker of surprise that passed over the operative's face, before his features once more smoothed into relaxed condescension.

"I see," said the operative. "Then you've met me before, at some time in my future."

"And I'm hopin' this is the last time," said Mal. "Find someone else to do your dirty work next time."

"That, I'm afraid, I cannot promise. Both of your skillsets are quite unique, and very valuable, as I'm sure you were told on our first meeting. In my time, we face a great challenge, one so great that humanity cannot afford to be divided. To that end, we've seeded the timeline with promising clones, including you and your brother, to avoid certain events, and promote the likelihood of others."

"Just a minute," said Castle. "Mal told me that story when we first met. But since then I've found my biological father. I can't be Mal's clone."

The operative smiled that same smile that Mal had learned to hate on their previous meeting. "And yet, you have identical DNA, do you not?"

Mal looked at Castle. Castle nodded. "Simon confirmed it."

"Interesting," said the operative.

"So how do Beckett and I get home?" Castle asked. "Click our heels three times and say, 'There's no place like home'?"

"I'm unfamiliar with that reference," the operative said, pressing his fingers against his sleeve, "but I believe that the end of many things is often found at the beginning."

And with that, the operative vanished.

"_Qing wa kao de liu mang_!" said Mal.

"Wait a minute," said Castle. "I think I know what he meant."

* * *

They were back on Newhall, Mal, Castle and Beckett, in front of the vault where it all began, seemingly an age ago.

"We'll try this," Mal said. "I'll check in a few minutes. If you're still here, we'll have to think of somethin' else."

"This will work," Castle said. "Meanwhile, I left a gift for you in your coat pocket."

Mal patted his pockets and found something. Smiling, he withdrew a book.

"Where did you find this?" Mal said.

"There was a book shop on Beaumonde, on the way to the minister's. I couldn't resist."

"How did you pay for it?" Beckett asked. "Did Zoe give you a shopping allowance?"

Castle scratched the back of his head. "Well, I might have shoplifted it."

Mal grinned broadly. Turning to Beckett, he said, "My brother's goin' down a dark road, it seems. Better keep an eye on him, Kate."

Beckett lightly punched Castle's arm. "It seems I'd better. Due to your influence, no doubt, Mal. Castle, do that back home and I'll have to handcuff you."

"Is that a promise?" Castle asked.

Mal ignored the exchange, looking instead at the first page of his book. "'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. Well that's a fact."

"It's a classic story of two men who look identical," said Castle. "It seemed appropriate."

Putting the book back in his pocket, Mal said. "I'll look forward to reading it. Now that we got some ready cash on hand, no need for another job right away."

"Well, let's do this and see what happens," said Castle. He reached out and shook hands with Mal. Beckett did likewise.

"I don't know if this is the last time we see each other or not," said Mal, "but just in case, I'm glad we've had at least this much time together. Too bad it only happens when there's a crisis."

"We'll see," said Castle. "Meanwhile, pass along our best to your crew. They're a fine bunch."

"That's the truth of it," said Mal. Looking at Beckett, he added, "Maybe it's time they knew that."

Beckett smiled and entered the vault, taking Castle by the hand. Mal sealed the door behind them and waited.

A few minutes later, when he was starting to think nothing would happen, Mal felt a tremor. Opening the vault again, he smiled to himself when he found it empty.

* * *

Castle and Beckett, still holding hands in the darkness of the vault, also felt a lurch.

"Is that it?" Beckett asked. "Do you think we're back?"

"I guess that depends on who opens that door," said Castle.

A few minutes later, they heard the lock mechanism and saw the door open. A figure stood in front of them, shining a light that blinded them.

"Hey, Beckett," Esposito called. "That you in here?"

"It's us," Castle said, guarding his eyes with his arm. "It'd help if you shone that light somewhere else."

"Ah, sorry. Just got your message. How'd you send it, with your phone out here and you in there?"

"What message?" Beckett asked.

"Really?" Esposito asked. "That you were trapped and needed our help. Your phone was lying here on the floor."

"Well, thanks for coming to get us," Beckett said, stepping out of the vault and taking the phone from Esposito. "What time is it? What day?"

"What _day_? Are you OK? It's Tuesday, 10 AM. How'd you end up in there, anyway?"

Beckett and Castle looked at each other.

"It's only been half an hour," Beckett whispered to Castle.

Castle nodded. "Well," he said, looking at Esposito, "would you believe we were kidnapped by men from outer space?"

Esposito regarded Castle with his best poker face. "Nope," he said, then turned around and called to Ryan.

"Found them," Esposito said. "Unharmed. Mostly."

* * *

When Mal returned to Serenity's cockpit, Zoe was seated in the co-pilot chair, clipboard in hand, checking flight system status.

"See them off?" she asked.

"They're gone," said Mal. "Back home, I trust."

Zoe regarded Mal. "You didn't get to spend a lot of time together."

"No," said Mal. "Still, to have family, somewhere, sometime in the 'verse, when you thought you had none, well that's quite a gift."

"It is at that," Zoe said, setting the clipboard down.

Leaning towards Zoe, Mal said, "Speaking of gifts, may I?" As he spoke, he reached his hand toward her belly.

Zoe, eyes wide with surprise, nodded.

Mal placed his hand on her belly. Zoe's eyes opened still wider and her mouth opened when she saw Mal's eyes tearing up.

With a sniff, Mal said, "A fine gift Wash left for you. The finest gift there is." Taking his hand away and looking directly at Zoe, he added, "And I miss him. Miss him so much. What a fine man was your husband."

Zoe, choked up herself, was nearly speechless. Finally she managed to say, "I miss him too. Very much."

Mal turned, realizing that someone else was in the cockpit. And there was Inara, her eyes wide with surprise and shock. Then a warm smile lit her face and she glowed like the sun. Stepping forward and taking Mal's hand, she said, "Malcolm Reynolds. I do believe there's hope for you yet."

* * *

_Acknowledgements_

_1. "Hi, can you help me?" she said. "I'm looking for Malcolm Reynolds. I'm here to rescue him."_ River and Jayne used this strategy to rescue Mal in my story, "Rayne on Me".

2. "_Well look at this... Ain't we just_." Obviously borrowed from Firefly: "Safe". Zoe likely recalled this exchange and suggested it as a means for Castle to establish himself in Mal's character.


End file.
